Colombia's Ministry of Mines and Energy announced a temporary $8 per kilowatt-hour surcharge on energy bills to cover debts of intervened companies like Air-e. The measure aims to prevent a systemic collapse in the electricity sector. Andeg's president clarified that Air-e's debt amounts to $1.6 trillion.
Background on the Debt
Air-e, intervened by the Superintendencia de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios, has accumulated a debt of $1.6 trillion related to pending payments to transmitters and generators, mainly thermal ones, operating in the departments of Atlántico, Magdalena, and La Guajira. This company covers 11.4% of the national energy demand. According to Alejandro Castañeda, president of the Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Servicios Públicos y Comunicaciones (Andeg), the figure does not reach $2 trillion as initially mentioned.
Ministry's Proposal
The Ministry of Mines and Energy published a draft resolution imposing a temporary $8 per kWh surcharge on all users of the Sistema Interconectado Nacional (SIN). This measure will affect 15 commercializers covering 23.37% of the national demand and will apply while the Comisión de Regulación de Energía y Gas (CREG) develops a new reliability scheme within six months. Funds will be collected through the Administrador del Sistema de Intercambios Comerciales (ASIC) and distributed to creditors to cover obligations up to November 2025.
Castañeda warned: "If this company's debt persists, the energy system will collapse because it operates in a chain. If one fails, the others are put at risk." The adjustment represents about 1% of users' current average payment and could have been avoided by strengthening the Superintendencia's fund with General Budget resources, though the fiscal crisis prevented it.
Impact on Users
The surcharge will generate an additional cost of about $1,000 monthly for households with average consumption of 120-150 kWh, and up to $4,000 for businesses with up to 500 kWh. It will affect residential, commercial, and industrial users without distinction. However, Air-e announced that in January 2026 there will be no rate increase, keeping tariffs at $796 per kWh, $80 below the national average, to avoid passing inefficient costs to users.
The measure aims to shield the system from financial contagion risk due to interrelations in the Mercado Eléctrico Mayorista (MEM).
